June6, 2019

CAPTION: U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar toured clean-up efforts of the Duluth Harbor as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GRLI).

Klobuchar was joined by Duluth Mayor Emily Larson and representatives from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Visit Duluth to receive an update on clean-up efforts

In the United States, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has provided more than $2 billion for Great Lakes protection and restoration and has been instrumental in restoring freshwater ecosystems, spurring economic opportunity, and redeveloping waterfront communities

MINNEAPOLIS – Today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar toured clean-up efforts of the Duluth Harbor as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GRLI). Klobuchar was joined by Duluth Mayor Emily Larson and representatives from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Visit Duluth to receive an update on clean-up efforts. Klobuchar also discussed how GRLI funds have been instrumental in restoring freshwater ecosystems, spurring economic opportunity, and redeveloping waterfront communities like Duluth.

“The Great Lakes combined economic impact is so significant, that restoration alone is estimated to provide $50 billion dollars in long-term economic benefits, Klobuchar said in Duluth. “That’s why it’s critical that we do all we can to redevelop our waterfront communities like the Duluth Harbor. As co-chair of the Senate Travel and Tourism Caucus, I know the significant role tourism plays in our state – a $15.3 billion dollar industry that generates more than 270,000 jobs. So it’s no wonder that 70% of Minnesotans enjoy the outdoor recreation each year. About 140,000 jobs rely on the outdoors. And it’s a $16.7 billion dollar industry for our economy. That’s why I’ll keep working to unite people across the aisle from every corner of the country to find common ground on these issues, advancing conservation and environmentalism, and fighting to protect and preserve our Great Lakes for future generations.”

As one of the vice-chairs of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, Klobuchar is a leading advocate for the protection of the Great Lakes. She has worked to bolster pollution clean-up efforts in the Great Lakes, prevent diversions of Great Lakes water out of the region, and establish new water conservation and environmental protection standards in the Great Lakes area. She has also fought to keep aquatic invasive species out of Minnesota’s river and lakes, including authoring legislation to help fight the spread of invasive carp that was signed into law in 2014.

In September 2018, the EPA and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced a $10.1 million cleanup effort in Duluth. The projects focused on the Minnesota Slip near the downtown Duluth waterfront and Slips 3 and C in the Duluth Harbor. This is part of a larger effort to restore the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC) through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Since 2016, more than $125 million has been committed to restore the AOC, including the $75 million Spirit Lake cleanup of the former Duluth Works site announced last year.